Dojo

Proverbs 10:9 “People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall.” (NLT)

Read 1 Samuel 17.

Opportunities to be dishonest occur every day, and dishonesty isn’t always about verbally telling lies. Dishonesty can be taking credit for work you didn’t do, not following through on a promise you made, or even something as simple as not completely obeying traffic signs while driving. Choosing to be honest with your words and your actions is a struggle you will have every day and even multiple times a day. But living your life with that kind of honesty is what sets you apart as a person of integrity and a follower of God. And that’s what set David apart in this Bible Story. David saw a problem and presented his solution. He said he would fight Goliath. And even though there were ample opportunities to back out or run away from the fight, David was a man of his word. He fought Goliath and won. It was qualities like integrity which caused God to see David as more than a simple shepherd boy. God saw David as the next king of Israel!

Read Proverbs 10:9. Spend time this week paying close attention to your words and your actions. Are you speaking and acting honestly? Do people know you to be a person of integrity? Pray that God will show you how you can improve.

When is a joke not a joke? How far is too far? When does saying, “I’m just kidding,” become an excuse for saying whatever we want?
It comes down to respect. What happened to Elisha was not a simple case of name-calling. Read 2 Kings 2:25 again. There were at least forty-two boys in this gang, maybe more! Can you imagine being stalked and yelled at by more than forty people? This was a threatening situation that had everything to do with respect. These boys were not just showing disrespect for a balding man, they were showing disrespect for the representative of God. The SAME God that had used this man to save their city from a poisonous water supply!
These boys were showing disrespect to God when they showed disrespect to Elisha and we do the same thing when we disrespect others. In 1 Peter 2:17 we are commanded to respect everyone. Our family. Our friends. Our church leaders. Our employers. Even politicians whom we disagree with. Yes, even the one you are thinking of right now! Everyone.

So regardless of who someone is, what they have done, or if we agree with them, as followers of Christ we should treat all people with respect. Don’t cause God to call out a bear out on you!

1 Peter 4:19 “So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.” (NLT)

Read Acts 14:8-20.

Before starting any task, most people will decide on some limits. Whether consciously or subconsciously, we decide how many problems we are willing to deal with before we will give up.
“I’ll work until I feel tired. I’m sorry, I didn’t expect it to be so hot today. I need to take a break. Oh, it looks like it’s about to rain, I guess I need to quit working for the day.”
It’s easy to invent excuses the moment something becomes a little bit difficult. However, when it comes to doing what is right, excuses and quitting should be the last thing on our minds. In this Bible Story, Paul had what most would call a legitimate reason for giving up, the people had tried to kill him! But bloody and bruised, Paul got up and went back into the city. He continued telling others about Jesus and no excuse would make him give up. We should have that same attitude. We have the same mission that Paul had: To tell others about Jesus herbal slimming tablets. And we should never choose to give up on that mission.

Read 1 Peter 4:19. What are some things you feel like giving up on as you strive to do what is right? Spend time in prayer this week asking God to help you to endure. Pray for the strength and patience you will need to continue. Put your life into His hands knowing He will never fail you.

1 Corinthians 6:19 & 20 “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” (NLT)

Read Daniel 1

“It’s just too hard to find healthy food.” “I just don’t have time to cook.” “I’m on a see food diet – everything I see, I eat.” Many of us treat food and eating as if we are held prisoner to the fast food culture around us. But Daniel actually was held prisoner! And he managed to find a way to honor God with what he ate. Scripture doesn’t fill us in on the details of why Daniel found the food “unacceptable” (verse eight). It could be that the food had been sacrificed to idols and used in the worship of Babylonian gods. It could be that it violated Jewish dietary laws Visit Website. It could be that it was simply unhealthy. The point is that Daniel knew that by eating the food, he would be defiled and dishonor God. Today we live in a shifting sea of fitness guidelines. The super-food of one decade, is the health-risk of another. Daniel wasn’t concerned with following the dietary fads of the world, but he was concerned with honoring God with what he ate. We should follow Daniel’s example.

Proverbs 17:17 “A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.” (NLT)

Read 1 Samuel 14.

Making commitments is easy. However, being loyal and keeping those commitments can be much harder than we anticipated. Maybe you get tired, run out of time, or something else comes along that sounds more enjoyable. The important thing to remember during these times is that if we don’t honor our commitments, we will never experience some of the great things God has planned for us. In the story, Jonathan’s armor bear could have refused to go with Jonathan. Two men against an entire Philistine outpost? They wouldn’t even have the element of surprise. The plan sounded foolish and there was no guarantee of success. But the armor bearer had made a commitment to Jonathan and he chose to be loyal. As a result Jonathan and his armor bearer set something in motion that would become an incredible victory of the Israelites over the Philistines.
What victories does God have planned for you? Whether it’s your job, school, family, friendships, or your church, you’ll miss out on those victories if you don’t choose loyalty. A commitment that isn’t honored is useless.
Read Proverbs 17:17. Take a few moments to think about the people and things in your life that you have made commitments to. Spend time in prayer that God will help you to remain loyal by honoring those commitments.

1 Corinthians 9:25 “All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.” (NLT)

Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. Running is simple. You just keep putting one foot in front of the other. You can run barefoot, or in high-tech footgear. You can run indoors or in the elements. You can run on a path or across the wilderness. The size of your stride may be short or long. The tempo of your steps may be quick or relaxed. The speed of your progress may be slow and steady, or an all out sprint. These are just variables in technique. The basic discipline of running is just putting one foot in front of the other, over and over. Our spiritual life is not that different. The basic disciplines are reading the Bible daily, praying, worshiping together as a church, and telling others about Jesus. When we stop doing that, we have stopped running the race and started observing the sport. Don’t be an observer, be a runner! Putting one foot in front of the other is not always easy. It is not supposed to be easy. Some days your faith may be so strong that it is like an all out sprint and you feel like you are flying high on spiritual adrenaline. But other days will feel like the end of a hundred mile run in the desert where your body is exhausted and your feet are swollen and blistered. But no matter how it feels, runners run. And no matter how we feel, as disciples, we must discipline ourselves to read, pray, and worship regularly. Keep putting one foot in front of the other toward the prize of heaven.

Hebrews 13:6 “So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?'” (NLT)

Read Judges 6:12-7:22

Gideon started with no confidence. (6:15) But step after step, he obeyed God. He started small by obeying God and destroying his father’s pagan altars. (6:27) He obeyed God and gathered an army to fight the Midianites. (6:34) He obeyed God by sending away troops as God directed him. (7:3-7) And he obeyed when God told him to sneak down to the enemy camp. (7:9-14) As he obeyed, God was with him and Gideon gained the confidence to say “Get up! For the Lord has given you victory over the Midianite hordes!” (7:15) The “6:15 Gideon” could never have said that!
Where are you when it comes to confidence? Are you “6:15 Gideon,” “7:15 Gideon,” or someone in between? What steps of obedience do you need to take to move from verse 6:15 to verse 7:15 in your life? We don’t need confidence in our selves. We need confidence in God. And we gain that confidence by each step of obedience we take. Whether small or large, taking steps of obedience to God will lead us to greater and greater things. Gideon’s small steps of obedience led eventually to a great victory.
What small step of obedience do you need to take today? Whatever it is, take it! If you do, you can have confidence that you will have great adventures of faith when you walk in obedience to God.

On the curriculum team that I oversee are many talented writers. Each week they write a Devotional around a particular lesson or story in the Bible. At the beginning of every week I will be sharing one of these devotionals with you. I hope they help you and give you the ability to develop your Spiritual Leadership Muscle!

Titus 2: 7 “And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.” (NLT)

Read Acts 16:1-5, 1 Timothy 1:18, and 2 Timothy 2:2.

Take a few moments to think about some of your best teachers you had growing up. What made them the best? Odds are, they were passionate about the subject matter and they did everything possible to help you learn all you could.
Paul was that kind of teacher. Paul had made it his life’s work to spread the Good News of Jesus everywhere he went. He knew that there was no greater calling and no better way to spend his time. However, Paul also knew that he couldn’t do it alone. He enlisted the help of a young man named Timothy. But Paul didn’t just give Timothy some instructions and then send him on his way. No, Paul spent time showing Timothy how to live the life of a missionary. He taught Timothy how to handle persecution and rejection. He warned Timothy about the dangers he would face. And above all Paul encouraged Timothy. He encouraged Timothy not to give up and to train others as well. Timothy knew what it took to be a good leader because he had a good leader in Paul.

Read Titus 2:7. Are you being a good example to the people who look to you? Does everything you do reflect your seriousness of teaching others about Jesus? Spend time this week thinking about the people you lead or those who look to you as an example. Pray that God will help you to honor that leadership he has given you as you set an example through your words and your actions.

This is an iPhone video of our songwriter, Ryan McMackin, playing a new Elevate Jr. song during a deadline meeting for our next series, Dojo. After hearing it, I decided we should shorten the song by 15 seconds and change the “play, play, play” lines to lyrics about learning. Can’t wait to hear the final version!